Languedoc-Roussillon

The region of Languedoc-Roussillon extends along the Mediterranean coast of France between the mouth of the Rhône and the Pyrenees for a distance of some 200km/125mi, bounded on the north and west by the river Aude, on the east by the Golfe du Lion and on the south by the Pyrenees.

Originally the coast, with its fringe of marshy soil and numerous lagoons, offered little attraction to holidaymakers. In 1963, therefore, it was decided to change the whole coast of the Golfe du Lion, and under a plan developed by the government the marshland has been drained, beaches have been created, old towns like Sète, Agde and Perpignan have been expanded and a series of new holiday centers have been established, varying in style and layout and adapted with varying degrees of success to the natural setting. The first of these settlements, the Grande Motte (designed by Jean Balladur), was opened in 1974 and was followed by many others, including Port- Barcarès, Port-Leucate, Gruissan, Valras- Plage, Cap d'Agde, Carnon, Port-Camargue and Fleury d'Aude. Common to all these centers is a wide range of facilities for entertainment and sport. The landscape of Languedoc-Roussillon offers a variety of attractions - wild rocky gorges, fertile orchards and market gardens (the much sought-after primeurs, early vegetables, come from Roussillon), old hill villages, the ruined castles of the Cathars on mountain crags and interesting old towns, as well as the seaside resorts along the coast. The mild climate is a further attraction which draws holidaymakers to this region.

The early settlement of this region led to a flowering of art. The earliest figural sculpture in the whole of western art, dating from 1020, is in the church of St-Genis-des- Fontaines, between Céret and Argelès-sur- Mer, to the south of Perpignan. And Languedoc-Roussillon has a whole series of towns with historic old buildings and works of art.

The region consists of the two provinces of Languedoc and Roussillon, which take in the five départements of Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère and Pyrénées-Orientales. It covers an area of 16,431 sq. km/6,344 sq. mi and has a population of around 1.3million, most of them living in the coastal areas.

The former county of Roussillon lies at the eastern end of the Pyrenees, between the Pyrenees and the Monts Corbières, and bears the imprint of Catalan culture. To the north is Languedoc, which takes its name from the langue d'oc, the old Provençal language. The province was formed after the Albigensian wars out of the territories of the Duchy of Narbonne and the County of Toulouse.

The coasts of the region were settled towards the end of the sixth century B.C. by Phoenicians, who were followed later by Greeks and Romans. From the early fifth century A.D. the Pagus Rossillionensis formed part of the Visigothic kingdom. In 720, however, the Arabs forced the Col de Perthus and overran the area. In 759 it was recovered by the Franks, who left the administration of the territory to the native counts. In 1172 the county of Roussillon passed to a collateral line of the Counts of Barcelona. Under the treaty of Corbei (1258) Louis the Pious made over Roussillon and the Spanish March to the kingdom of Aragon. This marked the beginning of a period of prosperity, particularly for Perpignan, the former residence of the Counts of Roussillon and now capital of the newly established kingdom of Majorca, which then included not only the Balearics but also territories on the mainland (Roussillon, Cerdagne and Montpellier).

In 1473 Perpignan came into conflict with the French crown, and in the following year was besieged and captured by Louis XI's forces, remaining under French rule until 1493. Later Charles VIII handed over Roussillon and Cerdagne, two areas which remained restless, to Ferdinand and Isabella of Aragon and Castile, who had just completed the Reconquista with the capture of the Moorish capital of Granada. The desire for independence, however, remained very much alive. In 1640 Roussillon rebelled against the central government in Madrid and was joined by the Catalans. Together they proclaimed Louis XIII of France Count of Barcelona, and in 1642 Louis entered Perpignan. The Peace of the Pyrenees (1659), however, did not satisfy the aspiration for a unified Catalonia, since the main ridge of the Pyrenees was declared to be the frontier between France and Spain.